


Playtime

by SugarMel0n



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Not Beta Read, the fluff lasts only for a little while though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 05:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30084402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarMel0n/pseuds/SugarMel0n
Summary: An unexpected guest shows up while Pure Vessel is alone. What will they do?
Relationships: The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & The Pale King
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Playtime

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic posted on here, I hope you like it!

'Do not think. Just focus on attacking and do not think.' 

Daily battle training has always been the most stressful activity for them. The fact that they were training with their father today made it even more stressful. They can't hesitate with their attacks. They can't show mercy. 

'Keep your mind empty. Stop thinking, and stop feeling.' 

The King jumped up and slashed down onto them. They quickly parried his attack with their nail and shot him backward. He failed to land on his feet. Were they doing good? He crawled up onto his feet slowly, obviously in some pain. "Astounding parry, Vessel. I have trained you well," their father huffed. They tried not to smile. Their father was proud of them! 

'No. Stop feeling. You can not be happy, and you can not feel accomplished.' 

He seemed as if he was about to say something until there was a knock at the door. His attention immediately diverted away from his child and walked over to the door to open it. They did not look. They pretended not to notice. Curiosity is an emotion, and they do not feel emotions. 

"Herrah? What are you doing here? " the King asked. 

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here?' You asked for the meeting to be today!" 

"Wait, that was today?" They saw their father rush to the bench on the other side of the room. He grabbed a book and quickly flipped through the pages. "Oh dear, I completely forgot. I am very sorry about that." 

"It's alright, Wyrm. It's not your fault." 

"Am I late?" A third voice rang out from the hallway. They recognized it as Lurien's voice. 

"Oh, no, you're not late," the King said. "I will be out in a moment. Please go to our normal meeting room. I have something to attend to first." They heard footsteps leaving the entry of the sparring hall. Their father stopped in front of them. Despite their towering figure compared to their small father, they were still intimidated by him. 

"Vessel, I have a meeting to attend to. You will stay here, and you will not touch anything. Do you understand me?" They nodded. His tone changed drastically compared to his tone when talking to the Dreamers. It was chilling. 

"Good. I will be back in approximately an hour." He walked towards the door and left the room. An hour is a while to be alone. What could they do to pass the time? Not much, their father said not to touch anything. 

They sat down. Perhaps they could gaze through the window? The view outside the palace was beautiful. If only they could go outside... 

THUD! 

A noise startled them. It came from the door their father left through. What was that? They turned toward the door to see a small bug face-first on the ground. Who was that? They got up and walked over to the bug. The little bug lifted its head and looked up at them. Its face seemed to show some kind of emotion, but they weren't sure what it was. Was it embarrassment? Nervousness? Fear? 

"Do you know where my mommy is?" It spoke. It was a young bug. They shook their head to answer its question. It finally stood up and brushed off its cloak. They weren't sure why it did that; the palace floors should be clean. 

"Can I stay with you until my mommy comes to find me?" They weren't sure how to answer that. Yes, it would be nice to have some company. Their father was not going to be back for another hour. However, they knew their father would not be happy if he found the little bug with them. 

They nodded. They didn't mean to, but something in them wanted them to nod. The little bug seemed to like that. It ran through the door and jumped around. It was cute. 

After a few seconds of playing around, it stopped and ran up to them. It said, "Oh yeah, my name is Hornet! Nice to meet you!" Hornet? Isn't Hornet Herrah's daughter? She didn't look anything like her mother. That must be why they didn't recognize her at all. 

"Um... what's your name?" she asked. They didn't know how to answer that. They didn't have a name. They were just called 'vessel' by their father. They just shook their head to answer her question, since they couldn't speak or give her any other good response. 

Hornet looked confused. "Why did you shake your head?" Once again, they couldn't answer her question. They just walked away and looked through the window again. She tugged on their cloak, trying to get their attention. 

They sighed and knelt, looking at her. She said, "Do you not have a name?" They nodded. "Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Can I give you a name?" 

They tried their hardest not to smile at her. She was so cute. They nodded, wondering what kind of name she would give them. She seemed to like that answer. "How about Holly?" 

That name was so cute. They loved it so much. They nodded, beaming with joy. Hornet smiled and hugged them tightly. "I knew you would like it!" 

Oh no. If their father could see them right now, who knows what he would do. These are actions an impure being would do. That is not what their father wants. But... it feels so nice to be hugged. To have a name. To know their only sibling that's still alive. They want to feel this way more. It feels... so nice. They wished she would hug him forever. 

Hornet stopped hugging them and stepped back a little, much to their- Holly's disappointment. "Can we play? I want to do something with you, Holly," she suggested. She was practically hopping in anticipation for their answer. 

They've never played with anyone before. All they've done their whole life is train and remain pure. Well, as pure as they possibly could. Playing with their half-sister wouldn't hurt, right? They nodded to answer Hornet's question. 

She jumped into Holly's arms almost instantly after they nodded. "Yay! We're going to have so much fun!" She started climbing on them and giggling. It was adorable. They stood up with Hornet still dangling on them, squealing with excitement. 

Hornet kept climbing until she reached their horns and stood on the top of their head. She was a bit heavy, but they didn't mind. She was having so much fun, and so were they. 

Holly got an idea. They leaned their head back with Hornet still on it. She screamed a little as she almost lost her balance. However, she caught onto their horns before she fell off. She was laughing so hard. 

"Aah, you almost got me, Holly!" she giggled. Their head suddenly felt lighter as Hornet let go and fell to the ground. They turned around and knelt to look at her. She was still laughing. 

Hornet grabbed onto their arm and jumped as she exclaimed, "Up, up!" They used their other hand to pick her up by her cloak and stood up. She was squirming in their grip and laughing. "Look how high up I am! Wheee!" 

They lifted her higher, causing her to squeal even louder with joy. "I'm on top of the world!!" she exclaimed. They spun around in circles to make it seem like she was flying. She was practically screaming with excitement. 

"...It sounded like it came from over here!" Holly recognized a faint voice coming from far away. It was their father. They quickly set Hornet down and fixed their posture, trying their best not to look happy. Their father can't know about this. 

"No, don't stop!!" Hornet whined, trying and failing to climb up their cloak. Footsteps were heard from the hallway. There were definitely more than 2 pairs of footsteps. 

The footsteps kept getting louder and louder until the door at the sparring hall slammed open. The King was standing there with Herrah by his side. "We found her. Thank you so much, Wyrm," Herrah sighed. 

Hornet ran over to her mother and lept up into her arms. Herrah questioned, "What were you doing with the vessel? I thought I heard you screaming!" 

"I was playing with Holly! They picked me up and swung me around! It felt like I was flying!" 

Oh no. 

"Vessel." Their father's voice was deep and bitter. He slowly walked toward them, a flame in his eyes. "What did you do?" 

They shook their head, trying to indicate that they had no idea what Hornet was talking about. The Pale King did not believe it, however. 

"She called you 'Holly'. You are not supposed to have a name. You are not supposed to play. You were not even supposed to meet her. Tell me the truth, what did you do with her?" 

They paused. They didn't know what to do. Their father's gaze made them even more nervous. 

The King was about to speak, until Hornet yelled, "Wait!! It's my fault!" He quickly turned around to look back at his daughter. 

"What?" the Pale King asked. 

"Papa, I asked them to play with me. I gave them a name. I didn't know they were the Pure Vessel, I swear! It's my fault! Punish me, not them! I didn't know!" 

What was she doing??? 

There was silence for a few moments. Their father seemed to be thinking of a response. Finally, he walked towards her and knelt to her level. 

"No Hornet, it's not your fault. They were the one to agree to play with you. They were the one to accept the name you gave them. It is their fault entirely and I will find a way to punish them properly for what they did." 

"Noo!!! Papa, please don't! They don't deserve it!" Hornet screamed. Herrah held onto her and picked her up. She was wriggling in her mother's grasp and begging their father not to punish her step-sibling. 

"Hornet, shut up! He is not only your father but also the king. You will listen to him and stop complaining or else the vessel won't be the only bug being punished today." Herrah's harsh voice wasn't enough to quiet Hornet. 

Hornet snarled, "I don't care if you punish me, Mom! I deserve it! Holly doesn't deserve it!" She was trying to fight her mother and Herrah just sighed. 

Herrah looked over to the King and said, "Sorry about my daughter, she's rather fussy today. I'm going to leave now." Hornet was screaming as Herrah walked away from the room. 

The Pale King sighed in relief and rubbed his temples. "Thank goodness they're gone, whining children give me a headache and I don't like being around Herrah," he mumbled, barely loud enough for them to hear. 

He cleared his throat and walked back over to his child, eyes blank and appearance authoritative. 

"Come with me, Vessel. I am going to tell your mother what happened and we will decide a suitable punishment for you." 

\---- 

The sound of wind wooshing soothed them as they sat by their half-sister. They reached for her head and pet it softly, causing her to lean slightly more onto them. 

"Hey... do you remember that time we played together when we were little?" Hornet asked. Holly nodded and reached for the quill and parchment on the other side of Hornet. She grabbed for them and handed it to them. 

They started writing, 'That was fun. I still love the name you gave me.' Hornet chuckled softly, whispering, "Oh, really? I was only a child then, I'm surprised you still like it." 

'I'm curious, how did your mother punish you?' they wrote. 

"Nothing too serious, Mother just hit me a couple of times and I was forced to sit in a corner for about five minutes. How about you?" 

'I had to stay in isolation for a week.' 

"Eek, that sounds horrible. I'm sorry about that," Hornet breathed. They shook their head and rested their hand on Hornet's head, keeping eye contact with her. She smiled and hugged them. 

"Don't worry Holly, your parents won't do anything horrible to you ever again. You're safe now," Hornet whispered. They returned the hug. It felt so nice. 

They were glad they were with their family again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! In case it isn't clear, after the dashed line, Hornet and the Hollow Knight are in Dirtmouth after the Embrace the Void ending.  
> If possible, please leave feedback! This is only my first fic posted on here, so I would love feedback to see how I did!


End file.
